The stage is set for a potentially enthralling Formula 1 title decider with each championship contender starting in the top three for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Max Verstappen is on pole, championship leader Lando Norris joins him on the front row while third-placed Oscar Piastri lines up third.
It was inevitable that it would happen this way and it probably suits Norris the most, considering all he needs is a podium to clinch his maiden title. But the grid is tight, less than a second separated the cars in Q3, and there is always the potential for somebody to come in and cause havoc which is the last thing McLaren needs.
The man most likely to do so is George Russell, who will join Piastri on the second row and the Mercedes driver was even pushing Red Bull to give him a tow in Q3 because he knows Verstappen needs all the outside help he can get to win a fifth championship.
Russell has also been highly impressive in 2025, arguably the best driver behind Verstappen, maximising the most out of his Mercedes with wins in Canada and Singapore. He even thinks there “could be an opportunity” to add a third victory to his 2025 CV, because the Dutchman’s pole perhaps came as a surprise considering Q3 was the first session he topped all weekend.
“My mood is the same as any other race,” Russell told Sky Sports F1. “Obviously I know what’s on the line for those three, but you just got to treat it like a normal race. I think in normal circumstances we don’t have to pace but obviously if lap one finishes in the order we start the race, I can’t imagine Max just driving off into the sunset.”
So obviously it comes as no surprise that the Briton will do all he can to end the ground-effect era on a high, even if it means costing one of the top three the championship.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
“If there’s an opportunity and if there’s a gap, if this was race one of the season I wouldn’t be aiming to do anything reckless, but I’m not going to leave opportunities on the table,” added Russell.
“I also want to finish on the podium. I also want to finish the season on a high and I’ve got to be honest, I won’t sleep better or worse no matter who wins the championship. So I’ll be doing my own thing and go from there.”
It is unlikely that another driver may have any bearing on the championship fight, because starting fifth is Charles Leclerc who has largely struggled with his Ferrari in Abu Dhabi. So him starting high up is a shock, especially when team-mate Lewis Hamilton dropped out of Q1, but if the Monegasque does find himself fighting with the cars ahead, then the man fifth in the championship will also ignore the title fight just like Russell.
“I don’t even want to know all the scenarios because it’s quite stressful to be in that position, and in my head there will be none of that going into tomorrow’s race,” said Leclerc.
“The only thing that will be in my head is how can I maximise my performance and the result of Ferrari. If that means doing everything at that particular moment when they are behind to try and slow them down, I’ll do that.
“If that means not fighting with them because for my strategy it’s better to not fight with them, I won’t fight them and none of that championship title thing will be in my head – because it’s not my job to be here to favour one or the other.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Mario Renzi – Formula 1 – Getty Images
But Fernando Alonso, who starts sixth, seems to care a little more about the championship fight as the Aston Martin driver claimed his target is to not make the headlines.
When asked if he wants to be a factor in the fight up ahead, the two-time F1 champion said: “Not really. I hope to be as far as possible from the fight. Well, not too far because I want to win the points. But, yeah, not in the news on Monday.”
Alonso still wants to maximise his race considering Aston Martin is deep in the midfield fight, 12 points behind sixth-placed Racing Bulls and seven ahead of eighth-placed Haas. Despite that, he also claimed that he will be trying to catch the battle between Verstappen and the McLarens “a lot” on the Yas Marina big screens.
“It’s a very easy circuit: Turn 3, you have a screen that is in the middle of your view. Turn 5, you have a screen on the inside,” added Alonso. “Turn 7, on the outside. Turn 9, there are two. One on entry, one on exit. So, plenty of screens! Tomorrow is going to be a fantastic show for us.”
Additional reporting by Filip Cleeren and Ronald Vording
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– The Autosport.com Team
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